Burning Inside With Violent Anger
by LuckyLadybug
Summary: UPDATED OCTOBER 31ST! A series of short stories exploring Alister's character during the Doom Arc. Written for the community 13 Fears.
1. Fear of Blood

**Yu-Gi-Oh!**

**Burning Inside With Violent Anger**

**By LuckyLadybug**

**Notes: The characters are not mine, and this ficlit is! I know I haven't written for the fandom in a while, but the character Mello from **_**Death Note**_**, and the new community 13 Fears on Livejournal, have given me ideas for Alister. I have taken up a claim for him at this community, and I will be writing mostly about a time I haven't explored too much: his time in the Doom/Doma Organization. Most of the stories will probably be short, as they depict momentary events. Therefore, I will post them as a multi-chapter submission, which is something I don't do for my other claims, since they tend to generate longer stories. Thanks to Angelflare, whose little stories taking place during the **_**Kingdom Hearts**_** games helped to give me the idea for how to write my Alister claim! And the comment about the scars is a nod to Lisa's fics. The title of the story is a nod to one of my other fandoms, a line from the song **_**One-Winged Angel**_** that seems to fit Alister well during this time period.**

**This first entry takes place right at the start of the season, during the first episode.  
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_**#1. Hemophobia; Fear of Blood (it's just a little blood)**_

The red was swirling around in the sink, mingling with the running water and then splashing against the sides. Gray eyes widened, and a low curse escaped the lips as he continued to hold his bleeding palms under the stream. It would not stop. . . . Why would it not stop?! He had not dug that deeply into the flesh. . . .

Now it looked like the falling water was mostly clear. He gingerly extended the tips of his fingers, turning the tap as the crystal slowed to a trickle and then to a drip before vanishing entirely.

He reached for the towel on the rack by the side of the sink, patting dry his hands and the small wounds. As he moved the cloth back, he studied the breakings in the flesh with contemplation.

They were all slight crescents, of varying sizes. Some seemed to have ceased to bleed entirely, while others featured hints of red somewhere nearby the openings, ready to seep out again.

Valon, knowing him, would yell at Alister if he came in and saw that he had done it again. Not that he would take much stock in anything that annoying Australian would say.

He could not help it, he had gotten so angry! He had been watching the television when a press conference for Kaiba Corporation had come on. He hated them so much, and yet whenever one was airing, he always watched, to see what new lies Kaiba was going to tell. Well, part of what he had said tonight was true---Kaiba Corporation was not responsible for the sudden outbreak of Duel Monsters running loose in the world.

He had smirked slightly, when hearing that the company was suspected of it. They needed controversy now and then, to tarnish that prestigeous reputation. And someday, the truth of Gozaburo's involvement in the war would come out. When the time was right, maybe after Kaiba's soul was locked away, he would make sure all the skeletons were released from the closet. Then the Kaiba Corporation would crumble, as it should have done years ago.

Or maybe that should happen before he took Kaiba's soul. Let him suffer a bit first, seeing the fruits of his labors fall apart.

Anyway, it had been the next part of the press conference that had made him furious. The reporters had asked Kaiba about the future of the Kaiba Land parks, and he had said that plans were still going forth to make them possible everywhere. After all, Kaiba Corp "cared about the future of underprivileged children."

What a joke! They cared so much that they had sold weapons to both sides in the war, and had blown up tanks when they had surely seen that innocent children were being lifted inside for protection. . . .

_Miruko. . . ._

Kaiba Corporation had been the death of his little brother. Well, now he would be the death of them.

He fumbled with the latch on the first aid kit, annoyed as it continually slipped from his fingers. But at last it clicked, and the lid popped up, revealing the carefully guarded contents. He reached inside for a disinfectant wipe, still using the tips of his fingers and being certain not to poke the edges of the wrapper into his wounds.

He brushed the damp paper gently, yet quickly, over his palms, sensations of both satisfaction and frustration at the sting sweeping over him. It meant that he was alive, that he was going to be able to enact the plans he had waited for over the past years. But it also meant that he was alive and alone. If only one of them was going to survive, it should have been Miruko. Not him. . . . Not when he had been such a horrible brother.

He crumpled the wipe, stuffing it back into its wrapper as he projected it across the room into the waste basket. Then he reached for the gauze. The small cuts probably would not bleed any more, but if they did, he did not want the sticky crimson to get all over the inside of his gloves.

Placing a strip on the edge of the sink, he laid his hand palm down against it and then carefully wrapped it around before cutting and taping it. He had gotten quite skilled at this in the last few years. When it was all said and done, he sometimes wondered if he would have scars on his hands where his fingernails had plunged through the skin.

He repeated the action on his other hand, only finding it slightly awkward to use his non dominant hand for the cutting and taping. Then he replaced the items in the kit, snapped the lid closed, and set it in the medicine cabinet before turning to leave.

Now that the monsters had appeared, it was time for Doom to reveal themselves to the Nameless Pharaoh and his cronies. And then . . . then it would be time for him to finally make himself known to Kaiba.

He smirked darkly as he walked back into his room. Picking up his elbow length gloves, he began to work his hands into them without jarring the gauze. Then he grabbed up his dark coat and his sunglasses before turning off the light.

Yes, this was the beginning of the end---for the impure in heart.

And that certainly included Seto Kaiba.


	2. Fear of Nudity

**Notes: Thanks to Aubrie for the "It's nothing you haven't seen before" line. This piece amuses me. I love bonus themes, so I will be doing those as well as the thirteen main themes.  
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_**#18. Nudophobia; Fear of Nudity (in only my birthday suit)**_

Alister leaned back after turning the taps on the bathtub. Immediately the water leaped out of the showerhead, beating against his clammy skin and pressing down his already-damp hair. It felt good to wash away the evidence of the past hours' excitement.

It had been a long night, and they had been gone even past sunrise, but it had gone well for a first meeting. Now the Egyptian God cards were in their possession. Raphael was probably giving them to Dartz right now. And Dartz was no doubt very pleased.

They had lost one of their number---the old man, Gurimo. He had fallen to the Orichalcos once the Nameless Pharaoh had defeated him. But oh well. If he was not able to take the pressure, then he did not belong in their little organization. And it had not really been a surprise. It was one thing to be able to defeat runts like Rex and Weevil. It was quite another to go up against the reported King of Games. The Pharaoh's victory had really seemed imminent from the start.

He reached for the shampoo bottle, flipping open the lid and leaning away from the shower's reach as he squeezed some of the sticky liquid into his short red locks. Now the Nameless Pharaoh knew about them. And now he would naturally worry. But it was Raphael who was the most interested in dealing with him. He could certainly have him. Alister only wanted Seto Kaiba.

He had been studying Kaiba and his corporation for many years by now, and the rivalry with Maximillion Pegasus's company Industrial Illusions was certainly not lost on him. It was something he could use to his advantage . . . well, once Pegasus was taken care of. And Valon's little addition to the group should be handling that angle.

That was fine with him; he had nothing against Pegasus. But if it was necessary to get rid of him in order to get to Kaiba, then of course he would do the task personally. If that Mai Valentine person failed, however, then Valon should be the one to face Pegasus, since he was the one who had brought that woman there in the first place.

It was hard to know what to think of her. Obviously she had been one of the top duelists, at one time, but her popularity had been slipping. That was why Valon had brought her there, wasn't it---she was a washed-up has-been and she did not know anymore what to do with her life? And of course, he was smitten with her for some odd reason. That had been obvious from the start, and Alister had argued with him about the subject shortly after her arrival.

Dartz did not really care one way or another. She was another person whom Fate had brought to them, he had said, and her skills should be sufficient enough to be useful. What she and Valon did on their own time was their business, as long as it did not interfere with the ultimate plan.

Of course, she did not give Valon the time of day. He really should have learned by now that she did not like him, but then he seemed to be a slow learner on a lot of things. He would not even listen to Raphael's concerns, and he and Raphael seemed to get along well most of the time.

Now he took hold of the soap, lathering his hands more before beginning to spread the suds over his body. A damp lock of hair fell in his eyes as he leaned over to get at his legs. Maybe he had not put the shampoo enough throughout his hair. That would have to be gone back and corrected. If there was not the right amount, it would be hard to get it to the proper volume once it was dry.

Setting the soap aside, and rinsing his hands under the shower, he reached for the shampoo and began to apply another layer.

Now, what had he been thinking of before his mind had wandered? Ah yes, Industrial Illusions. Oh, Kaiba was going to be unpleasantly surprised when he found what Pegasus was going to do next! Or at least . . . what he would _think_ Pegasus was doing next. His first meeting with Alister was going to be incognito. Alister was going to travel to Duelist Kingdom, in the guise of Pegasus, and make Kaiba come there to fight him. Then at some point during the battle, he would reveal his true self. And Kaiba would no doubt be astounded!

Maybe that would be their only battle, but he had to hope not. After waiting so long, he wanted more time to turn his enemy's life upside down. There were several ways to bypass the outcome of an Orichalcos duel and turn it into a draw, if one could not secure a victory. Or maybe he would not use the Orichalcos at all in the first round. There were so many possibilities.

Without warning the door was suddenly flung open, sending a chill breeze through the skimpy shower curtain. The redhead paused, his fingers lathered with suds and held in his hair, a deep frown gracing his features. There was only one person who would have the audacity and the idiocy to come in like this. . . .

"Valon . . . !" he yelled, pushing the curtain aside just enough to see the spiky-haired Australian standing in the doorway.

"I've been looking for you for ages!" came the scolding answer. "Dartz is callin' a meeting and he made me come to find ya." He crossed his arms, obviously annoyed with the task. Then his eyes widened and he immediately looked away, clapping a hand over his face.

"And OY, Alister! Couldn't you keep the curtain closed or something? Now you'll be givin' me nightmares!"

Alister looked down at himself, rolling his eyes as he reached with a soapy hand to bring the edge of the vinyl around his lower half. "That's what you get for walking in on someone when he's showering," he retorted. "And it's not like it's something you haven't seen before."

Valon muttered something under his breath that was probably another indication of how distressed he was. Then he quickly turned to go. "Well, just . . . come on down when you're finished," he mumbled, continuing to make a show of keeping his eyes covered until he had gone back out the door. With a groping hand, he finally took hold of the knob and closed it behind him.

"And make sure you're wearing clothes!" he yelled through the door.

Shaking his head, Alister pulled the curtain across the rest of the way and resumed his lathering ritual.


	3. Fear of Women

**Notes: I hope these two came out alright. I rewrote some things several times to try to get the right voice for them. It's been a while since I've written for Alister, and I've never tried Orichalcos Mai before. And I still like Mai, by the way, though it's no secret that she was seriously mixed up during Doom Arc, courtesy of Yami Marik.  
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_**#16. Gynophobia; Fear of Women (sugar and spice and everything nice)**_

He was leaning against a pillar of the temple, his arms crossed, his coat billowing around him. His honey-tinted sunglasses slipped partway down his nose as he looked toward the sound of the footsteps. Even before he saw the owner of said footsteps, her identity was obvious. No one else in the temple made such a clicking sound with her boots.

And there she was---Mai Valentine, wearing one of those purple and black outfits that seriously challenged the lines of decency. Her shorts went about as high as humanly possible without being nonexistent altogether. And her top covered what she was endowed with---just barely---and little else.

The Orichalcos choker around her neck seemed out of place. After all, she was so concerned about fashion, wouldn't she think the turquoise would clash with her outfit? Or maybe by now she was so caught up in thoughts of gaining power that she did not care.

Her expression bore her cold determination. She wanted to be the best, just like Valon. Maybe that was why she did not like him. Maybe she thought he would only get in her way. It would not surprise him. Valon should just give up already.

Not that he cared what Valon did. They each had their own separate goals, after all. Valon's near-obsession with her would not interfere with Alister's plans of destroying Seto Kaiba. Or it should not, anyway.

She did not seem to notice him leaning there, watching her. In retrospect, maybe he should have just let her go by. But for some reason, he decided instead to speak.

"Did you do it?"

She froze, turning narrowed violet eyes to the hidden gray orbs. "Of course I did it," she answered, her voice sharp as a knife. "Did you think I wouldn't?" In anger she brushed a stray lock of blonde hair over her shoulder. Something must have gone wrong. Not that she was not always in a bad mood, but right now it was worse than usual. She looked like she wanted to take a bite out of metal.

If the old nursery rhyme was true, about females being made of "sugar and spice and everything nice", she was more spice than anything else at the moment. And though he had heard that in the past she had used her sugar on men, she had never used it here. She was always so full of anger and hate . . . and pain, underneath it all. None of the members would have joined an organization such as Doom without a certain amount of pain. But as far as Mai Valentine containing "everything nice" . . . well, that all depended on one's perspective of "nice."

He had often played with fire in his life, though this interest had mostly come about after his brother's death. And he always had his own reasons for getting into someone's mind and tinkering with what made them tick. He never did it just to make them squirm and be on edge. It was what he planned to do with Kaiba. To start with, it would only be words and simple actions. Then, gradually, it would grow worse.

Of course, he had very little interest in this woman. Making her life Hell would be pointless. But that did not mean that he did not wonder if she was useful to the organization. He still thought Dartz had made a mistake by allowing her admittance. Her cutting tone should have been a warning to back down, but instead he gave her a calm look. "I thought maybe you couldn't," he said.

Her eyes flamed. "Are you calling me soft?" she spat, stepping closer to him. Her hands flew to her hips. She looked ferocious as she stood in front of him, demanding a response. Some men would be scared off by this tigress. Some would just be amused.

Alister was neither. But he did raise an eyebrow at the red-violet color that sparked in her eyes. That only happened when the wearer of the Orichalcos became particularly incensed. It confirmed his suspicions that something had not gone according to plan when she had gone on her first major mission. Not just anyone could eliminate Pegasus. Had she needed help to get the job done? Valon had gone with her, to monitor her success as well as to be around in case she needed a more experienced duelist to bail her out of a tight spot.

Not that it really mattered, as long as the assignment had been completed.

"I wondered," he said. "Especially since you dropped out of the world of professional dueling to join us."

The rage only increased. When she spoke, her voice was taut and dangerous. "They weren't enough of a challenge," she said. "I wanted something bigger. Something better."

"And you think you've found it?" He glanced at the stone hanging from her neck. "Only the best can be Orichalcos duelists."

She glowered. "I was the best!" she retorted.

"Until people like Yugi Muto and Joey Wheeler came along and stole your glory?" He continued to regard her in total calm. "I've heard you used to cheat to win, by spraying perfumes on your cards. If that's true, then you deserved to lose. You can't expect to get far in this life if you don't have any confidence in yourself."

"I don't have to prove myself to you!" she retorted, half-turning to leave. "You're nothing to me."

He looked after her, his expression never changing. "If you think your talents are worthy of us, then why not duel me?" He held up his left arm in emphasis. The duel disk was in place, ready to be activated.

She glared over her shoulder. If she could, she looked as though she wanted to melt the device with her eyes. "If you're so worried about it, why don't you come and watch me duel?" she shot back. "I didn't see you leaping to follow me to San Francisco."

"That's because I don't hang on your every word and action," he retorted.

Her lip curled, but it was not clear whether it was in repulsion of Alister or of Valon. She turned again, her hair swishing out with the motion. The conversation was over, as far as she was concerned.

Gray eyes watched her departing form until she turned the corner. Even afterward, the clicking of her heels on the floor could still be heard, fading into the distance.


End file.
